10. Alex Webster
Arguably one of the most influential bassists in the genre. Although he is best known for his work with Cannibal Corpse, its his work with Blotted Science that earned him a spot on on my list.
9. Stephen Fimmers
Necrophagist...a band so amazing at what they do, there is actually a viral joke on facebook dedicated to the new album never being released. Mr. Fimmers is a standard to be held by death metal bassists everywhere, and anyone who has seen this band live will agree to that.
8. Erlend Caspersen
Anyone who knows Spawn Of Possession will know that they are one of the leading names in technical death metal. What makes Mr. Caspersen stand out, at least to me, is his riff work. His hands are always busy, never venturing into boring territory.
7. Jeroen Paul Theseling
One of the leading names in jazz-trained fretless bass playing imposed over death metal. Its a real shame this man has left Obscura.
6. Steve DiGiorgio
Again, one of the most influential bassists in the genre. Steve has played for a list of artists a mile long, running the gamut from Sadus, Death, and Quo Vadis to Vintersorg and Iced Earth, among others. He is one of the first guys to popularize and innovate the sound of fretless jazz bass over death metal. For being an innovator and not an immitator, Mr. DiGiorgio earns the number 6 spot on my list.
5. Dominic "Forest" LaPointe
Yet another jazzy fretless bassist slipping and sliding his way over death metal chunkiness. What sets Forest apart from the rest is his tapping and technical proficiency, taking the thing Steve DiGiorgio does to the next level.
4. Scott Plummer
First time I saw this guy's bass I thought: "What the living fuck?" This guy is nuts, and what keeps him from being higher on the list, is the fact that I find a lot of his craziness tends to get a bit same-y. That aside, absolutely insane bassist with an absolutely insane number of strings.
3. Jeff Hughell
Brain Drill, Rings Of Saturn, I Came To Hate, Reciprocal. Mr. Hughell is certainly making his mark as one of the best bassists in the field. His ability to play is beyond talented, however I think that fact is lost on a lot of people who are unable to grasp the overly technical aspect of his basslines.
2. Mike Flores
Anyone who has seen Origin live will tell you Mike Flores is one of the craziest bassists in the universe, no doubt. His unique style of playing coupled with his incredible speed would have earned him the number one spot on my list if it weren't for a few things: The bass on the albums in mixed in a way that makes what he is actually doing nearly inaudible; He is the best at what he does, but that is all he does, rarely does he branch out into other styles of play such as slapping or tapping.
AND THE NUMBER ONE BEST BASSIST IN DEATH METAL........
1. Jaron Evil
I had the honour of seeing Archspire when they came to my town a while back, and honestly folks, this guy blew my mind! Take the fretless work of Steve DiGiorgio, the slapping skills of Les Claypool, the tapping ability of Jeff Hughell, and the "quick fingering" technique of Mike Flores, roll it into one dude who does all of it while screaming the sickest back up vocals I've ever heard, and you got Mr. Evil. He does all his work on a 6-string fretless, and is probably the most diverse and innovative bassist in the scene at the moment. Definitely my number 1 favourite.
21 авг 2024
